Przepiórka

This dance game was well-known in different versions practically all around Poland. It used to be part of an important wedding ritual, with the quail (przepióreczka) symbolizing the bride trying to escape the unveiling ceremony (oczepiny). The groom’s role was to catch the bride and escort her to the oczepiny. So the dance constituted a part of the rite of passage from an unmarried girl to a married woman, and catching the “quail” by the bride was one of the symbolic forms of sanctioning the marital bond. The ritual meaning of the dance has long been forgotten, and the dance itself has become a complex game performed at weddings and carnival parties in rural areas. It is danced by single women and men standing in two rows facing each other. The name of the dance is derived from the accompanying song (przyśpiewka) about chasing an escaping quail (Uciekła mi przepióreczka w proso, a ja za nią nieborak boso) performed by all participants of the game.

In Radom region, one of the game’s versions involves pairs forming two rows, men in one row, and women in the other. The man and the woman from the first pair join hands, raise their arms to form a gate and run first along the men’s row, then along the women’s row. When their arms move above the men’s row, the woman is running between the two rows. When their arms travel over the men’s row, the man is running between the two rows. After passing the rows, the woman escapes the man, running around or hiding behind the rows, and the man has to catch her. When he manages to catch her, both stand at the end of their rows, and the next pair in front repeats the game. The dancers run smoothly, with mazurek step. After all the pairs have performed the game, the dancers join hands and rotate along a circle line in different ways depending on the region. For example, in Radom region, they dance mazurek, in Małopolska and Wielkopolska regions – walczyk, and in Nowy Sącz region perform a polka.